Motherhood in Childhood

The onset of puberty brings substantial
physical changes, as well as vulnerabilities to
boys and, especially, to girls. Puberty for girls
begins on average two years earlier than for
boys. This fact, combined with very restrictive
gender norms and limited assets, often leaves
many girls with only their physical bodies as a
core reliable asset. This asset can be potentially
exploited for non-consensual, unprotected,
and underage sexual relations; and it may also
subject girls to marriage against their rights and
will, with the expectation that they will bear
children as soon as possible.
For most children, early adolescence is
marked by good health and stable family
circumstances, but it can also be a period of
vulnerability because of intense and rapid
transitions to new roles and responsibilities as
caretakers, workers, spouses, and parents. In
many countries, the impact
of HIV, poverty, and political
and social conflict on families
and communities has eroded
traditional safety nets and
increased the vulnerability of
young adolescents (UNFPA
and the Population Council,
n.d.).
When children of this age
are neither living with their
parents nor attending school,
there is a good chance that
they are not receiving familial
or peer support to properly
deal with the challenges
they face and are not being
given adequate opportunity
to develop into productive
members of society. In some
settings, young female adolescents are domestic
workers, migrants from rural communities in
search of work and an education, or are fleeing
a forced marriage. Others may already be child
brides and are now living with their spouse and,
possibly, his family. These youth are among
the least likely to seek out and receive social
services and therefore require a proactive set of
prescriptions to minimize their vulnerability to
exploitation.
DHS data from 26 sub-Saharan African
countries show that up to 41 per cent of girls
between the ages of 10 and 14 were not living
with either parent (although some may been
living with other relatives). Somewhat smaller
shares of girls in that age group were not living
with either parent in Latin America and the
Caribbean. The lowest proportions were in
Asia (World Health Organization, 2011b).
“When I went into labour, they brought the
traditional daya midwife. She didn’t pay
attention to the size or the position of the
fetus. The whole day, I was in pain, holding
onto the rope until I had no energy left in
me. I thought I was going to die. Then they
took me to the hospital, which was over
two hours away. The moment I reached
there I lost consciousness. And when I
woke up, they told me my baby had died.”
Awatif, 33, pregnant at 14, Sudan
54 CHAPTER 3: PRESSURES FROM MANY DIRECTIONS